1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a system and method for distributed storage management on a networked computer system and, more specifically, to a system and method for distributed storage management on a networked computer system including a remote backup file server and one or more local area networks in communication with the remote backup file server.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Backup copies of information stored on a computer system must be made so that if a failure occurs which causes the original copies of the data to be lost, the lost data can be recovered as it existed at the time when the last backup copy was made. Backup/restore systems have a long history on all types of computer systems from mainframes to minicomputers, local area network file servers and desktop workstations.
Historically, backup systems have operated by making copies of a computer system's files on a special backup input/output device such as a magnetic tape drive, floppy diskette drive, or optical disk drive. Most systems allow full backup, partial backup (e.g., specified drives, directories, or files), or incremental backups based on files changed after a certain date or time. Copies of files made during a backup procedure are stored on these special backup devices and are then later retrieved during a restore operation either under file names derived from the original file, from the date/time of the backup operation or from a serially-incremented number. The backup procedure is typically accomplished on an individual computer/file server basis, rather than through a single coordinated approach encompassing multiple systems. That is, the computer resources of two computers at most (the one processing the files to be backed up and the one with the backup device attached) are employed to effect the backup process, regardless of the actual number of computers networked together.
Today, the absolute numbers of computers networked together by organizations are increasing rapidly as is the number of different types of computers and operating systems in use. At the same time, the number of storage devices and the capacities incorporated into each of these units is growing even more rapidly. In this environment, the backup/restore approaches which have been traditionally used have become less reliable, more expensive, and more consumptive of human time and attention.
Thus, the need exists for a system designed to overcome the limitations of the existing backup/restore systems that have the following characteristics: (1) is capable of operating on a networked computer system incorporating various types of computers and operating systems; (2) is capable of accommodating a large array of large capacity storage devices; (3) is reliable; (4) is capable of operating with a minimum amount of human intervention; and (5) is relatively inexpensive.